Small Hours
by Sonata Rapp
Summary: A series of sentence long snapshots providing insight to the rollercoastering relationship between Kurama and Hiei. Updated weekly  provided I have prompts to work on.
1. Set 1

Set #1

**1. Succulent: **Hiei knew nothing of a warm home with a loving family, so he appreciated it all the more when he was invited to Kurama's house for the American holiday of Thanksgiving and allowed to share in the bounty of the succulent turkey the fox had prepared.

**2. Ball: **Kurama caught the longing look in his partner's eyes as they passed a small child playing with a ball in the street; it saddened the redhead because he knew that he would not be allowed to comfort Hiei when really, that's what the smaller demon needed most.

**3. Steamer: **Yusuke and Kuwabara often marveled at how clean and unwrinkled their vulpine friend managed to be; at least until Hiei disenchanted them by explaining that having control over the organic fibers in his clothes served Kurama better than any garment steamer ever could.

**4. Entrance: **Hiei would never tell Kurama that he entered through the window not because he was shy about meeting Shiori, but because he liked Kurama to see him when he made his entrance.

**5. Kaleidoscope: **For people who only knew Kurama on a base level, the fox's eyes were placid and green; for Hiei, who had seen all his partner had to offer, the orbs were a kaleidoscope of colors that never stopped moving.

**6. Birth: **Unlike most people, Kurama remembered his birth clearly; he remembered the pain it had caused his mother, but he also remembered the look of pure joy in her eyes when the doctor placed him in her arms.

**7. Monster: **Hiei thought himself to be forbidden, taboo, a monster of devastating proportion, but when Kurama held him and whispered words of love in his ear, he knew what it meant to be treasured.

**8. Orchid: **Kurama's eyes hardened at the potted orchid his mother had given him for his graduation; he knew that it meant 'perfection' in the language of flowers, and once again his heart mourned the fact that the woman could never know the truth.

**9. Hunger: **When he thought no one was looking, Hiei would stare at Kurama like he was a piece of meat that he desperately wanted to consume.

**10. Short: **Kurama covered his mouth with one hand to block the laughter that threatened to spill out as he watched Hiei struggle to reach the ice cream on the top shelf of the freezer.

**11. Desolate: **On some level Hiei was glad that he hadn't grown up in the glacial village; it was a cold, desolate place where he could never imagine being happy.

**12. Imitate: **The disaffected attitude that Kurama adopted so easily was not one that Hiei was skilled in, but one he found easy to imitate.

**13. Overwhelm: **The Jagan was dangerous sometimes because it allowed its wielder to see and feel so many things; the first time Hiei and Kurama made love, Hiei cried because he was overwhelmed by the depth of emotion he was feeling from his partner.

**14. Dusk: **"Arrogant fox," Hiei whispered after Kurama had remarked that his hair was meant to be the same color of the sun as it set into dusk; still, he could think of no better way to describe it.

**15. Crown: **Kurama was the undisputed King of Thieves, and such was the fox's arrogance about the fact, that it stunned Hiei that Kurama would possibly give up his crown for the sake of one human woman.

**16. Blood: **When Yusuke fell into a depression about his newly discovered demon hood, Hiei pointed at Kurama and murmured that blood had nothing to do with what a person became.

**17. Seed: **Kurama once told Hiei that he was capable of making any plant grow anywhere; Hiei had scoffed at that, and as a result found dark purple lilies growing out of his walls in Alaric until he admitted that the fox had been right.

**18. Myth: **For Kuwabara, who had always thought that dashing heroes with magic powers were a myth, seeing Hiei and Kurama in the heat of battle together was a dream come true.

**19. Key: **It was such a momentous occasion when Hiei presented his partner with a key to his rooms in Alaric that Kurama refrained from reminding him that he could have picked the locks and entered the rooms anytime he wanted.

**20. Queue: **Hiei was always insecure about his place by Kurama's side when they returned to the Makai for good; he knew that there was a line of more eligible demons waiting to take his place as the consort to the King of Thieves, but when he muttered this to Kurama one night, the fox laughed and said there was no one more eligible than him.

**21. Shouldn't: **It didn't matter that they could barely be in the same room without fighting, or that Yusuke and Kuwabara laughed at the idea; they didn't care that they _shouldn't _have worked together- just that they _did._

**22. Art: **Kurama was not submissive by any stretch of the imagination, (quite the opposite, in fact) but he found it hard to complain when Hiei's dominance was such an art.

**23. Slept: **It didn't take long for Hiei to trust Kurama enough to sleep in his presence; this was probably a good thing because he was too busy sleeping to realize that it took the fox much longer to return the favor.

**24. Robot: **Kurama once accused Hiei of having the emotional maturity of a robot; Hiei turned away and murmured that at least _his_ emotions were real.

**25. Eulogy: **To everyone's surprise, Hiei turned up for the funeral when Kuwabara finally died, and stood next to Yukina and Yusuke, offering them his strength.

**26. Persnickety: **"How Kuronue would laugh to see me now," Kurama murmured as he watched Hiei leave again; the fox had never pursued so persnickety a lover before, and wondered at the energy he was willing to expend to chase this one.

**27. Night: **Yusuke found it irritating that no matter how brightly colored Kurama was, he could always manage to sneak up on the mazoku, day or night.

**28. Ovulate: **When Hiei accused him of mothering, Kurama folded his hands neatly and replied that he didn't have the organs necessary to do any such thing.

**29. Coconut: **Kurama could never figure out how someone who bathed as infrequently -and inferiorly- as Hiei could always smell so pleasantly of warm fruit.

**30. Onanism: **Kuwabara didn't know that Kurama's window was not the only one Hiei frequented, until the little jaganshi threatened him with certain death if Kuwabara ever touched Kurama like obviously wanted to; the human scowled and vowed to close his blinds while he was masturbating.

**31. Glee: **Hiei knew better than anyone that everything about Kurama was an expertly crafted - and maintained- fiction; the one thing he couldn't control, however, was the glee that shone from his eyes when he was truly happy.

**32. Scream: **Hiei learned the hard way that the usually quiet and refined Kurama was not so when in the throes of passion.

**33. Fingers: **Kurama's fingers were never still: they were always twitching with the need to grab something that didn't belong to him.

**34. Nothing: **Whenever the fox was mad, Hiei equated his eyes to a blank wall; there was no wrath or malice in those green depths, just bleak emptiness that spoke of the imminent destruction of whoever was in his way.

**35. Become: **"We don't have to work that hard at it Hiei; we can become one easier than any before us."

**36. Individual: **It was a well kept secret that Kurama had chosen the colors for his hair and eyes because he was not content to be just another human.

**37. Harder: **"Harder, gods Hiei, harder; I'm not going to break!"

**38. Ice: **Hiei was the one with the koorime background, but Yusuke and Kuwabara were hard pressed to decide who was colder in their anger, Hiei or Kurama.

**39. Hue: **Kurama thought that it was a shame Hiei wore so much black; there were really more hues to the jaganshi than anyone would ever know.

**40. Return: **For all he was usually one step ahead of everyone else, Hiei's return to Ningenkai startled Kurama so badly that he wept openly for the first time.

**41. Culture: **Hiei was perfectly fine sticking to all of the foods and places that he knew well, while Kurama, on the other hand, was much more cultured, and enjoyed experiencing new things; Hiei would never admit it, but being with the fox opened his eyes to things that he would have never other wise experienced.

**42. Compassion: **Kurama was known for being the kind one, but really Hiei was more capable of mercy and compassion than the fox would ever be.

**43. Alarm: **There wasn't an alarm system in the human world that could catch Kurama if he didn't want to be caught, but Hiei was faster than his vulpine counterpart so anytime Kurama tried to steal from Mukuro, he was there to catch him.

**44. Star: **Hiei didn't believe in wishes, mostly because stars in the Makai meant something more malevolent than the stars above Kurama's house.

**45. Tolerance: **Shiori was surprised when she was introduced to the short dark haired male who seemed to be the source of her son's happiness, not because of Kurama's choice of lover, but because her secretive son saw fit to share something with her.

**46. Modesty: **Kurama was rarely seen in any state of undress, which Hiei took for granted as a form of modesty; he learned later when they started living together, that the fox really had a love for being naked for the right audience.

**47. Accused: **"I know Kurama's fucking someone, Hiei," Yusuke accused, "And I know you know who it is; you're the only one he would tell!"

**48. Text: **Hiei was annoyed that Kurama insisted on getting him a cell phone that somehow worked all the way in Alaric; even more annoying were the cutesy texts that the fox would send at the most inopportune times- like when Mukuro was looking over his shoulder.

**49. Nuclear: **When the two of them fought - _really_ fought, not just argued - it was like a nuclear war; no one was safe from the fallout.

**50. Butoh: **As he watched the performance, Hiei mused that Kurama was much like a Butoh dancer when he fought; his face might have been blank and emotionless, but all he was feeling came out in his movements.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I caught the sentence story word prompt bug. Please give me prompts!


	2. Set 2

**Set #2**

**1. Clergy:** Team Urameshi was stunned to hear about the sheer number of jobs that Kurama had occupied in his lifetime; they were the most shocked to find out that he had served as a priest of the Temple of Inari and had been as righteous as the job required.

**2. Lizard:** Hiei was like a reptile, cold blooded and elusive, only warming up if he was in the presence of someone with a sun-like personality - someone like Kurama, perhaps.

**3. Timepiece:** Hiei stared at the pocket watch that Kurama turned over in his hands while sitting on his bed in the human world; it was new and strongly resembled the one Yomi seemed to be missing.

**4. Fisticuffs:** Kurama and Hiei never fought hand to hand; the smaller demon was always afraid of the passion he could feel coming from the fox's touch and what that may or may not have meant.

**5. Profit:** Kurama didn't steal because he had a greed for riches or profit; he stole because he enjoyed outsmarting people and their so-called impassible security.

**6. Forest:** The fox had many hidey-holes full of gold and jewels secreted away in the many forests of the Makai; over the course of their lives together in the demon world, he took Hiei to each and every one, making him the only being, living or dead, to ever be able to say that.

**7. Pipe:** Silver hair stirred in the ozone scented breeze as Youko Kurama perched in his favorite tree, smoking something that produced a lavender smoke from an ivory pipe studded with gold; he sincerely hoped that Mukuro wouldn't notice that it was missing.

**8. Labyrinth:** Trying to find the way to Hiei's heart was like walking blindfolded through a labyrinth; one had to rely on instinct and intuition to reach the coveted prize that lay at the center.

**9. Piercing:** Hiei's eyes bugged out the first time he saw Kurama naked; The fox laughed and patted the jaganshi on the head, "Really, dear, it's just a Prince Albert."

**10. Spleen:** Kurama and Hiei didn't speak for over a month after Yusuke explained to the fire demon that Kurama's spleen was enlarged because he had mono, also known as the kissing disease.

**11. Wallpaper: **Kurama chuckled at the flowered wallpaper that his mother had placed in his bathroom; the faded roses that dotted his walls now, paled in comparison to his own creations, but he had to admire the woman for trying.

**12. Juice:** Hiei loved that it wasn't hard to turn Kurama on, his piercing gave the jaganshi something to play with, and Kurama came for him beautifully.

**13. Lampshade:** Hiei sneered elegantly at the detective who was drunkenly dancing around the hotel room with a lampshade on his head the day after they won the Dark Tournament; from his place on the couch, recovering from his wounds, Kurama locked eyes with the fire demon, his green eyes suggesting that perhaps a celebration was warranted.

**14. Putrid:** Hiei vowed that he was going to have words with Mukuro about sending him after demons that tended to explode, covering him in putrid smelling blood and guts.

**15. Alimony:** No one knew that Kurama had been married before, or that a percent of his hoard went to the woman; Kurama thought about telling Hiei about this part of his life, but he knew how special Hiei felt, so he didn't want to ruin that.

**16. Handshake:** Whenever Hiei came back to Ningenkai to see Kurama, he allowed his consciousness to caress the fox's; it wasn't an intimate gesture, to Hiei's mind, but something more akin to a handshake.

**17. Lethargy:** When Kurama got sick, he got lazy, whiny, and full of self-pity; Hiei hated those days because all the redhead would do was lie around lethargically and moan about his glory days - melodramatic moron.

**18. Lotion:** Hiei watched as Kurama applied some girly smelling lotion to his skin after a shower and marveled that something so old could be so soft.

**19. Frankincense:** Kurama snickered when he heard Keiko talking about the three wise men; he explained that there had indeed been three wise men and three gifts, and that two of the gifts currently resided in one of his dens.

**20. Antimicrobial:** It was hard to surprise the unshakeable fox, but when Hiei turned out to be a germophobe, Kurama bought the antimicrobial things he wanted and only laughed a little.

**21. Cartographer:** The fox had been so many places and knew the land so well that he could have easily mapped out the entire Makai: while intoxicated, and with his eyes closed.

**22. Apple: **Hiei threw the fruit up in the air and flashed his katana once, twice, three times, and six neat apple slices landed on Kurama's plate with the core next to it; "Shoff off," Kurama muttered as he lifted the fruit to his lips.

**23. Incredulous:** If you had've told Hiei that the legendary bandit he grew up hearing reverential stories about would end up in the human world buying tampons for an older human woman, he would have suggested you get your brain checked; he probably would have also offered to check it with the point of his sword.

**24. Squid:** "It's calamari, Hiei; it can't attack you."

**25. Marsupial:** "My little Koala," Kurama said to his lover, and the dirty look he got in return ensured that that would be the only time he ever tried to give Hiei a pet name.

**26. Rigid:** Hiei held himself to a rigid honor code that only he could figure out; well Kurama probably could have, but he decided not to pry since he could never be that good.

**27. Flaccid:** "It's alright, love; it happens to every male eventually…well not me, but…oh, _that_ was uncalled for!"

**28. Ursine:** Hiei ran his fingers down Kurama's hairless chest; "You know," he remarked, "It's a good thing you don't have all that red hair all over your body, else you'd look like a scrawny scarlet bear."

**29. Felicitous:** It was a very felicitous thing when Hiei came back to Ningenkai for the first time after the Makai tournament; so much so in fact, that Kurama scooped the fire demon up and swung him around happily.

**30. Groovy:** Yusuke and Kuwabara gasped for breath as they laughed at the picture of a demonic Kurama dressed in bell bottoms and flashing the peace sign; "It was the 70s, and I was something of a tourist here," the redhead murmured as he blushed.

**31. Strappado:** Kurama glared at his lover from his position bound with his hands behind him attached to a hook in the ceiling; Hiei flashed a rare grin at the redhead - he loved these games.

**32. Possum:** Hiei called Kurama a "damned possum" after most battles they were in because the fox had a tendency to play dead, and the jaganshi didn't like it.

**33. Wallet:** The fourth time Kurama stole Yusuke's wallet (but none of the contents), the former detective got a chain to attach it to his pants; when the fox stole it again, without breaking the chain, or alerting Yusuke, the half demon had to admire the skill.

**34. Marketplace:** Yusuke shook his head as he watched his friend walk through the marketplace; from his perch on the top of a building, he could see every flash of Kurama's pale hand as he shamelessly lifted every sparkly thing he saw.

**35. Cheat:** Kurama never played fair: that was just a fact of his personality; the only way to get around the fox's inexhaustible ability to cheat was to have him play in conjunction with Hiei who seemed to be the only one who could keep him in line.

**36. Professorial:** It was common knowledge that Kurama did not talk like the rest of his team because the fox's speech had a lofty, intelligent quality to it; he used big words that just caused the rest of them to stare blankly and accuse him of having been a very boring professor in another life.

**37. Geothermal:** Hiei had a natural ability to manipulate the heat that radiated from his body; this was much appreciated when Koenma was being a sadist and sent the team tromping through the coldest areas of the Makai.

**38. Ornithology:** Kurama was like some exotic bird with his colorful plumage and tendency to fly away whenever some one got too close, and Hiei took great pleasure in teasing his partner about this; at least, of course, until he heard Kurama's mating call.

**39. Cardigan:** Yusuke laughed hysterically when he saw Hiei after the fire demon had come from a dinner with Kurama and Shiori; Hiei could only glare because he was certain that he looked ridiculous wearing the dark blue cardigan the fox had picked out for the occasion.

**40. Contagious:** Kurama had warned Hiei away when he had the flu, but Hiei just snorted and climbed into bed with the redhead saying that he had no fear of human contagions.

**41. Mandala:** In addition to the Prince Albert, Hiei discovered that he could add a tattoo to the list of things he didn't know Kurama had, for on the fox's slender hip was a mandala etched out in green and silver inks; Hiei had to agree that it was fitting, since Kurama's life was more circuitous that anyone he had ever met.

**42. Thumbtack:** Hiei found out that Kurama's pain tolerance was pretty damned high when he watched the fox sit on a thumbtack that had been strategically placed by Yusuke, and only look mildly annoyed as he removed it.

**43. Lugubrious:** Kurama never doubted Kuwabara's intelligence, and he became even more assured of his opinion of the human when Kuwabara hugged him tightly, wanting to chase the sadness from his friend's green eyes at Hiei's departure.

**44. Cynical:** It was rare for the jaganshi to find someone more naturally cynical that he was, but sometimes listening to Kurama speak made him feel like an infant having a conversation with the elderly.

**45. Chemise:** "You're wearing a nightgown," Hiei insisted, sneering at the silk monstrosity his lover came to bed in.

**46. Flagstone:** Yusuke made a special trip to the Makai to help Kurama and Hiei lay the flagstones in the fox's new garden; both of the dark haired demons were smart enough not to ask how Kurama managed to make a veritable oasis in the hottest region of the demon world.

**47. Perfumed:** Hiei claimed to hate things that smelled like "flowers and crap," but he could usually be found with his nose buried in the fox's naturally perfumed hair.

**48. Potpourri: **Kurama often smelled like a potpourri of floral scents: spicy, sweet, and warm.

**49. Obelisk:** For decades after Shiori Minamino Hatanaka's death, blood red roses would appear at the obelisk that marked her gravesite; it was always the most well maintained of all the sites in the graveyard, and no one ever saw the silver headed male who was responsible.

**50. Firefighter:** Hiei burned hot whenever he was angry or upset; he was a raging inferno that could only be doused by the cool green depths of Kurama's gaze.


	3. Set 3

**Set #3**

**1. Rainbow: **Kurama delighted the beauties of nature, so when a rainbow arced its way across the sky over his mother's house, he grinned, his eyes sparkling as he watched it; Hiei rolled _his_ eyes because he didn't see why the fox was so enamored with the colorful display when Kurama himself was beautiful enough to rival it.

**2. Perfect: **Hiei watched Kurama cry for the first time with astonishment; "I'm not perfect," Kurama whispered brokenly, "Not even a little."

**3. Moody: **Hiei was a moody little thing, and it was hard to be in a relationship with someone whose emotions changed with the wind; Yusuke and Kuwabara never stopped being impressed with Kurama for his ability to deal with Hiei's moods, and even change them to fit his needs.

**4. Bookcase: **When Kuwabara started medical school, Kurama was invaluable to him; Shizuru didn't have a lot of money to buy her brother's textbooks, and many of the titles that Kuwabara needed happened to be in the extremely well read redhead's bookcase.

**5. Rope: **While Kurama enjoyed Hiei's dominance, he was by no means going to submit to it at all times, for he believed in reciprocity; it helped, of course, that Kurama could summon vines from out of no where to serve as rope and use them to restrain the jaganshi.

**6. Apologize: **Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan all started at their demonic companions in shock; if they didn't know any better, they would have sworn that they had just heard Hiei apologize to Kurama for being late.

**7. Wonder: **Kurama stared in wonder as Hiei hummed to himself while cleaning his katana; who knew the surly little demon could carry a tune?

**8. Yell: **Sometimes Hiei wished that Kurama would just yell at him; that he would yell and not just internalize whatever pain the fire demon was causing him.

**9. Cat-call: **Kurama reached a hand out and snagged Hiei's collar to keep him from rushing off to murder the men who had just cat-called at the 'sexy redhead' on the fire demon's arm; he explained that he was used to such treatment, and if he went off with every idiot who called out to him, he wouldn't have time to sleep.

**10. Violent: **People thought Hiei was the more violent of the pair, but those people had obviously never seen Hiei made a clean, quick kill while Kurama left his opponent to bleed out, or slowly rot into madness.

**11. Demand: **Hiei was content to avoid and ignore Kurama's affections and attempts to woo him, until the fox grew angry and demanded that Hiei give him some answer either way and stop acting like a child.

**12. Umbrella: **Kurama cast his umbrella aside and threw his head back, letting the rain soak him through; his wet hair whipping around him like so much blood as he danced in the tempest.

**13. Equality: **Hiei accused Kurama of wanting to own him, like some jewel or other that he could have on him at all times; Kurama turned away and muttered that he wanted nothing more than equality between them.

**14. Tiresome: **It never ceased to amaze Hiei how much less tiresome the Human World was now that he had Kurama to keep him entertained.

**15. Frivolous: **Hiei thought that Kurama's love of stealing sparkly things was frivolous until he realized that having a rich partner meant he could often eat as much ice-cream as he wanted.

**16. Snap: **Everyone feared the day that Kurama's calm mask would snap and all hell would break loose; they knew it would be more bloody and devastating that anything Hiei would consider doing, and that was a scary thought.

**17. Garden: **All Kurama ever wanted for his birthday was new bulbs for his garden; when he was asked why, he would smile, "What else do you get for the kitsune who has everything?"

**18. Runt: **"Get back here, you little runt, and answer my fucking question!" Kuwabara roared as Hiei darted out the window; the orange-haired man shook his head and made a mental note to never ask Hiei about Yukina's family again.

**19. Helicopter: **Kurama watched with wide eyes as Hiei used the spinning blades of a helicopter to work on his agility; one wrong move could end with the little demon sliced in half, and it shocked the fox how very much he wanted that not to happen.

**20. Quintessential: **Hiei had always scoffed when his red haired partner went on and on about how he was the quintessential this or the epitome of that; it wasn't until later, when they were mated and firmly in love, that the jaganshi realized that perhaps the fox wasn't always full of shit.

**21. Ice-cream: **Kurama knew that the best way to get his stubborn lover to do something he didn't want to, was to bribe him with Rocky Road ice cream; the little demon would lower himself to unbelievable levels for that.

**22. Parade: **The two demons stood in the crowd wearing identical smirks as they watched Yusuke's parade go by, for the boy turned demon had just been crowned king, and they wanted to reassure their friend that he would be supported; they thought the would be assassin with the sharpened blade of grass jutting from his chest seemed to send the message just fine.

**23. Jingle: **You would never know that Kurama was one of the wealthiest residents of Ningenkai if you saw him because there was no telltale jingle of money in his pockets, and though he dressed nicely, his clothes did not look that expensive; but to say that the demon was a packrat would be an understatement, and he had a habit of hording things that could afford him his own small country.

**24. Opaque: **Hiei's eyes didn't go opaque with non-emotion like his partner's did; in fact, the little demon made no effort to hide how he was feeling - at least with his darker emotions- so if he was pissed at you, you would know it.

**25. Klutz: **Whenever Kurama tripped or stumbled, it was when he was injured or faking; he was much too inherently graceful to be a klutz.

**26. Never: **In the middle of the night Hiei inquired of a supposedly sleeping Kurama if he had ever been in love; the kitsune smiled and whispered back, "Never until now."

**27. Lemon: **Hiei panted as Kurama swirled his tongue around the head of the smaller demon's not so small erection; he loved the taste of his lover, always fresh and tangy like citrus.

**28. Magnificent: **If Yusuke had to sum up Kurama in one word, he would have said magnificent; there seemed to be no scrape the wily fox couldn't get out of, and he did it all the while looking like sex in silk.

**29. Windy: **Hiei liked the wind, even when it didn't smell like home; it comforted him and made him feel like he was flying past any fetters that would seek to bind him.

**30. Soaked: **Kurama glared at his mate as he shook rain out of his spiky black hair; "Well there's another silk shirt soaked though," he growled.

**31. Gruff: **The words that Hiei murmured to him in that gruff tone were more precious to Kurama than any sweet nothings.

**32. Glisten: **While he hated the rain itself, Hiei had to admit that watching the drops in Kurama's hair glisten in the morning sun was not so bad.

**33. Barbaric: **Kuwabara muttered that Hiei was barbaric in the way he treated people, and Kurama had to hide his sadness (and agreement) as he thought of how much he missed the little demon who refused to come back to him.

**34. Table: **Getting Hiei to eat at the kitchen table was a bigger ordeal than getting him to use the front door; what the jaganshi would never admit, was that he was only so obstinate because he liked the way it felt to have someone fussing over him.

**35. Reason: **Sometimes Hiei demanded that Kurama explain why he loved him and, the fox didn't have an answer; instead he would smile and quote, "love has no reason, if it has, it's not love."

**36. Friendship: **Kurama couldn't express how much he valued the friendship he shared with Yusuke and Kuwabara; it was reliving, and completely novel, to have acquaintances that he didn't have to mistrust or compete with.

**37. Drink: **"I will never drink that swill again," Hiei vowed as Kurama towed him down the street; "I _did_ tell you to stop after your first bottle," the fox replied, supremely glad that his lover had not found the third bottle of tequila that Yusuke had bought for the party.

**38. Color: **They were like night and day, the pair of them; where Hiei was dark and silent like the night, Kurama was all color and brightness like a sunrise.

**39. Tight: **It gave Hiei a perverse amount of pleasure when he discovered how tight Kurama was; he silently delighted in the fact that he would be the first and only one to conquer the fox in this form.

**40. Apple: **Kurama shook his head at the half melted and all mangled I-pod on his bed; Hiei was lucky that Kurama was rich enough to keep paying Apple to send him new music players every time the fire demon found a song he didn't like.

**41. Cell: **Hiei's admiration for Kurama grew as he sat behind the warded bars of his cell; though he was not happy about being betrayed, seeing the lengths to which the fox would go to get what he wanted was inspiring.

**42. Freedom: **Although Hiei insisted that all he wanted was his freedom, he never seemed to mind spending his time in the human world curled up in Kurama's bed while the fox held him tightly.

**43. Meadow: **When Kurama found out that Hiei had a thing for meadows, the jaganshi expected ridicule; instead, he discovered just how nice it was to be mated to a demon who could make meadows explode out of the ground from out of nowhere no matter where they were at the time.

**44. Twilight: **Hiei sneered at the television as a commercial played for some crap called _Twilight; _he turned to watch Kurama as he washed the dishes and concluded that kitsune were miles better than sparkly vampires any day.

**45. Helpless: **Hiei watched helplessly as Kurama walked away toward the portal for Ningenkai; he wanted to call out to him, to ask him to stay or to convince him to go back as well, but his pride won out, and he watched the redhead disappear.

**46. Pleasure: **Kurama knew all about giving pleasure, since he had, after all, been doing it for hundreds of years; still when Hiei cried out under him on their first night together, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, glad that he could please someone so dear to him.

**47. Technology: **Hiei disdained human technology and Kurama's apparent dependency on it until he discovered Tetris and became so addicted that the fox had to pry him away from the computer so he could do his homework; when Kurama bought him his own laptop after that and showed him other games he could play, the fire demon stopped his complaining.

**48. Command: **Neither of them responded well to commands, so it was a good thing that they understood each other well enough to guess what the other would want and need.

**49. Mysterious: **Hiei found it hysterical and somewhat insulting that people thought him to be the mysterious one; he wanted to tell them all that Kurama was not as open as he appeared to be, but he knew that the façade meant a lot to the fox, and that his happiness depended on it to a certain extent.

**50. Exuberant: **When Hiei agreed to take Kurama's mark and be his mate, the fox couldn't say when he had ever been more exuberant; for years after, Yusuke made fun of him, saying that he had never seen anyone leap up and click their heels in real life.

* * *

A few notes

22: This sentence was the basis for my latest story _The King and The Consort. _It's a Yusuke/Kurama fic, and I'm really excited about it.

35: Kurama is quoting Shakespeare.

44: I'm sorry to any Twilight fans who read this, but in my opinion Kurama is waaaaay hotter than Edward Cullen. Plus, Hiei would totally hate Twilight.

47: Hiei being addicted to Tetris is kind of a running joke of mine. I think it's first mentioned in _Little Wonders._


End file.
